The uraeus is the stylized upright form of an Egyptian spitting cobra that often adorned the headdresses of the pharaohs as a symbol of divine authority. It represented one of the earliest Egyptian deities, Wadjet, and was believed to protect the pharaohs by spitting her fire at their enemies. According to myth, Isis made the first uraeus from the dust of the earth and the spittle of the sun god. Upon the unification of Egypt, the uraeus was joined with what other symbol?More...

The oldest and largest US civil rights organization, the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) was formed as a result of the 1908 race riots in Springfield, Illinois. In 1939, it organized the Legal Defense and Education Fund as its legal arm, which sued for school desegregation in Brown v. Board of Education. During World War II, it pressed for desegregation of the armed forces, which was achieved in 1948. What activist was an early leader of the NAACP?More...

Mather was an American Puritan leader remembered for his role in the Salem witch trials. Although his Memorable Providences Relating to Witchcraft and Possessions fed the hysteria that led to the witch hunts, he disapproved of some of the trials and argued against the use of "spectral evidence," a type of evidence based on dreams. Deeply interested in science, Mather was the first native-born American to be a fellow of the Royal Society and was an early supporter of what medical method?More...

Quotation of the Day

I realized that ritual will always mean throwing away something; destroying our corn or wine upon the altar of our gods.

Two significant events happened in Ecuadoran history on the same date: the discovery of the Amazon River headwaters by explorer Francisco de Orellana in 1542 and the incorporation of the Galapagos Islands in 1832. The country established the Amazon & Galapagos Day holiday during the presidency of Jaime Roldós Aguilera. In observance of the anniversary, Ecuadoran presidents have visited the Amazon and paid homage to the expedition of 1542. Other activities include traditional dances, the presentation of folklore, and other cultural festivities. More...

Earth's land masses are constantly shifting due to tectonic activity, and while their day-to-day movements are so minute as to be imperceptible to the average person, the world map will change drastically over the next 50 to 200 million years. According to geologists at Yale University, it is in that time period that the Americas, Eurasia, Africa, and Australia will come together over the North Pole and form a new supercontinent, dubbed Amasia. Only Antarctica will remain a separate continent according to this model.More...

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